Baltimore Ravens

The first home Ravens game was last night. This prompted all of the local news channels to ask on Facebook what people thought of the new bag policy. The new bag policy limits the size of women’s purses, limits the size of bags in general, bans diaper bags, camera cases, etc and also states that the non-purse bags must be clear. As is always the case with anything these days people are OUTRAGED. Me, not so much.

Safety – Will this new policy make me safer at the stadium? No, it won’t. Bad guys will still find a way to bring in bad stuff if they really want to. If bags are being searched anyway, this new policy will not make us any safer. What it will do is cut down on the amount of time standing in security lines behind people who feel the need to carry what is basically luggage to a football game. I approve of this.

Purses – The women were complaining that they need their purses to carry money, phone, keys, feminine products, etc to the game. I think this would likely fit into a small purse. If you only carry the basics with you, I don’t see the need for a giant purse. This should not inconvenience you at all.

Diaper Bags – I guess I can see why parents have an issue with this, but I have to ask why you are taking a kid that still needs a diaper bag to a football game. They don’t are about the game and taking care of them will mean that you won’t really be watching the football game either. I didn’t take my kid to the game with me until I was sure he would want to sit and watch the entire game. I didn’t spend all that money on a game to be distracted by a baby/toddler. Get a babysitter. Everyone will be happier.

Giant bags – I have never carried anything in to a game with me but my phone, my wallet and my car keys. I have considered bringing in food, but generally just eat before I leave the house. If I needed to take food in, I think the clear gallon ziploc bag would be sufficient. The complaints I’ve seen are about not being able to fit a blanket and pillow in the regulation bags. A blanket and pillow? It’s a football game, not a slumber party. Grow up, wear layers and leave the bedding at home.

I just don’t get why you want to carry so much stuff to a game or why you would be so mad about not being able to carry it that you would sell your tickets(as some people have threatened). If you care more about your baggage than the game, just stay home and watch on TV.

The only issue I have with new stadium things this season is the food. All of the new menu items are only available on the lower levels(at least from what I could find last night). It would be nice for us upper level folks to have easier access to the full menu.

As early as Wednesday, the NFL had to know that a game in Houston this weekend was questionable. The first rumors out of the league was that the game would be played, but at a neutral location out of the path of the storm. The league immediately denied this and then waited until late Thursday to announce the game would be played in Houston on Monday night. Now, word is out that the stadium is damaged and, of course, the city has a lot of damage and power outages. Still, no word from the NFL on what they plan to do in regards to the game. Reports are out now that the game will be postponed. I will believe it when I see it. I fully expect the NFL to announce the game will be played at a neutral location on Monday night. I can see why the NFL would want to play the game. A postponement would be a scheduling nightmare as the league is not set up to handle this scenario. The league could have made the right decision on Wednesday to move or postpone the game instead of leaving the players in limbo. Now, instead of the Houston players being able to deal with any damage at their homes, they are likely sitting at a team facility waiting for word on where they need to be on Monday. The last thing they, or the city of Houston needs to be worrying about right now is the status of a football game.